It’s here, it’s here! As promised, the Sweater Mitten Tutorial is ALL YOURS, with plenty of time to whip out a dozen pairs for the Holidays.

These are patterns I’ve used dozens of times, so many times that I’d rather not make them in bulk ever again. The patterns were given to me by a kind and generous woman in Northern Wisconsin who whips out dozens of them each year, both for her family and to sell. It was in this spirit of generosity and crafting for the greater good that I’ve decided to in turn, share the patterns with you. Through my own use, I’ve made my own modifications, omitting the turned cuff that you may have seen as part of many sweater mittens, and modifying the fit slightly. But more than that, I’ve consolidated the hundreds of hours of know-how I’ve logged making these myself, and distilled it into a four page tutorial complete with pictures and diagrams. While I’ve pored over the details for many hours, trying to be concise and as clear as possible, I don’t doubt that some polishing can be done. Please do share your feedback, good and constructive. To facilitate this, I’ve created a Flickr group to both showcase and discuss the patterns and our magnificent results. Go see for yourself and share your own results!

46 Responses to “Sweater Mitten Tutorial!”

You are the answer to my solstice prayer! I had a pattern so much like this (from a generous woman in northern Minnesota) that I LOST (insert grumble here)… I have been scouring the net for pattern like this for nights now. Yeah, you! Sending some love your way. xoxoxo Rachel

[…] Sweater Mittens from Mary Jo at Five Green Acres “It’s a very robust tutorial and pattern collection for making wonderfully-soft mittens from sweaters. Patterns cover infant to adult sizes, so there’s something for everyone here.” […]

[…] to use in crafting? Today’s feature fits the bill with this project from Five Green Acres Sweater Mitten Tutorial: Tutorial For Making Sweater Mittens By fivegreenacres.wordpress.com The patterns were given to me […]

Thank you so much for the tutorial and pattern. I have 7 children, with the eighth on the way via an Ethiopian adoption…certainly these would be a wonderful addition to our know hows. I am not very experienced with sewing, but you seem to have made it understandable to even me. Thank you so much again.

I can’t seem to print the tutorial pages for the sweater mittens. I would love to make these for myself and my grandkids. Can you please tell me how I can print these off? I was able to get the pattern pages but not the tutorial. Thank you for your help.

Keeping those edges from unraveling has never been an issue for me – all the seams are inside the mitten and completely enclosed but not touching the hands. (because the mittens are lined) They’re pretty stable. I have tried serging the edges in the past, though, but found it not necessary. If in constructing the mitten you’re having problems, then I’d recommend cutting out the pieces a bit bigger than needed, sewing the seams, zig-zagging next to your seam, then trimming the excess off, for a nice clean edge. Maybe that would do it?

I tried to download all your pages for making mittens from felted sweaters. The idea is WONDERFUL. WE have a group that knits for charity. My heart is in making warm mittens for children in Eastern Europe. These would work great. I wasn’t able to download the tutorial or pattern. They said some time of error occurred.
I would greatly appreciate any help with this.
Thank you so much.
Joan Bundt

They certainly would, since all the seams are finished and felting is not critical to the construction. Wool is definitely warmest, though. It’s hard to find them in great quantities now, but my fingers are trained to detect wool at just a touch, so I don’t have to go wading through tags of everything on the rack.
Good luck!

Just made some mittens from your tutorial. They turned out great! Had to figure out how to turn out the small child size with a chopstick since my daughter is asleep! Thank you so much for posting this. I am going to use a thrifted cashmere sweater to make some for me next!

I have 2 perfect sweaters that I have been waiting to use for this purpose! I am, in now way, a sewer…but strive to become one…so this post was exactly what I need to get started! I know you posted this a year ago, but I had to say thank you!! So, thank you!

Your tutorial and pattern are amazing. I just finished my first pair (for myself, of course!) and holy crap am I in L-O-V-E. They turned out amazing and I can’t wait to make more. I’ll post pics in the flickr pool during daylight hours. I made mine with a thrifted wool sweater (felted) and lined them with polar fleece from the stash. Also, since Mrs. Claus will be bringing 5 more pairs to our house, do you have any tips on sewing the curves for the smaller sizes? I’m not a great sewer and just barely made the turns for the adult size. Thanks!

Yay! Glad you liked these. For sewing the curves, there is no magic bullet. If you have the option, select the “needle down” function, which will anchor the needle in the mitten every time you stop sewing. Sew a bit, stop, pivot a bit around the curve, and continue in the same manner all the way around. Hard to describe in a verbal way – hope it makes some sense.
Go Mrs. Claus!!

That sounds about right. All the sizes, from newborn to Adult Large are nested together. A seam allowance is included in the pattern, so each mitten on the pattern will sew up at approx. 1/4″ less on each side.

thank you so much for such a great tutorial! it was truly one of the best tutorials i have ever found, and my mittens are turning out great! thank you again! i’m looking forward to reading your blog in the future!

[…] set was made from a bottle green jersey and navy fleece. I sewed the mittens using this tutorial from Five Green Acres. Simple as long as you go slowly and use a walking foot. I added a cuff of […]